Mysterious Master
"Chen Jie, you guys are having a late-night snack again..."
After buying the late-night snacks, Chen Guo called the internet cafe staff to enjoy it together. The aroma of the food filled the internet cafe, immediately drawing a wave of mournful protests from the customers who were online. Smelling the fragrance of food when dinner had long been digested wasn't a pleasure, but a temptation.
"Those who want instant noodles, line up. Don't make a mess," Chen Guo called out.
"Chen Jie gets to eat specially prepared food every day, while we just have instant noodles," lamented the customers who couldn't resist the temptation and had to settle for the internet cafe's instant noodles, looking enviously at the six dishes and one soup that others were having.
"If you want to eat, go buy it yourself across the street. Don't always think about sending my people," Chen Guo said.
"Next time you go, can you give us a heads-up and maybe bring something back for us too?" someone asked.
"How can I bring back enough for everyone in the internet cafe? Why waste so much talk? If you really want to eat but are too lazy to buy, just call the place across the street. Wouldn't they be willing to deliver?" Chen Guo said.
"Do you have their phone number? Let me copy it," someone said.
"Why would I need their phone number? I have people to send, why bother them?" Chen Guo said.
Not only the customers but also the internet cafe staff were moved to tears. Ye Kai found an opportunity and casually asked, "So, the boss's last name is Chen?"
"Mhm, Chen Guo. I've seen your ID. You're younger than me. I don't mind if you call me 'jie', and it's not a loss for you," Chen Guo said.
"Whatever..." Ye Kai chuckled dryly.
"The fish-flavored shredded pork is really spicy today, Xiao Chu ate it all," Chen Guo said. She hadn't eaten much herself, and after taking a bite of the fish-flavored shredded pork, she gasped for air, threw down her chopsticks, and went for a drink of water. Coming back with a water glass in hand, she kicked Ye Kai's stool: "Are you done eating? Hurry up."
"What's the rush?" Ye Kai asked.
"It's almost time," Chen Guo said, showing her watch to Ye Kai. It was 11:53 PM, with only 7 minutes left until the tenth district of Glory opened.
"You're going too?" Ye Kai was surprised. He had played Chen Guo's account, Zhuixianxia, a fifth-district account, which would be exactly five years old today if it started from the day of a new district's launch. That account, of course, couldn't compare with the top accounts of professional players, but it was quite good among ordinary players, not something one would easily give up.
"Just to see the excitement," Chen Guo said.
The opening of a new district was indeed a lively event. An ordinary day turned busy because of the launch of a new district, keeping Xingxin Internet Cafe bustling at this time. It looked like a private event for players of the new district, with everyone already on the login screen, their cursors hovering over the still-greyed-out tenth district, ready to pounce.
Entering the new district meant racing for the level leaderboard, racing for the first kill in dungeons, racing for dungeon clearance records, and so on. There were too many things waiting for players to do, and pioneering was always thrilling. Chen Guo looked at these customers and couldn't help but be moved by the atmosphere. But when she turned back, she saw Ye Kai still leisurely picking through his food, completely indifferent to the atmosphere, which was not the quality of a pioneer at all.
"Hey! Why are you still dawdling?" Chen Guo seemed more anxious than the person involved.
"What's the rush?" Ye Kai was genuinely calm, not pretending. It was undeniable that Glory's promotional efforts were successful, and players cared about in-game competition and rankings like never before. These things depended on real skill, not something that could be easily obtained with money or luck. However, for a professional veteran who had once held all the highest honors in Glory, these things seemed rather mundane to Ye Kai.
But seeing Chen Guo's murderous look, Ye Kai figured he should give his boss some face and finally reluctantly found a computer to sit down at.
"Damn, it's like I'm forcing him to play, what kind of person is this?" Chen Guo grumbled behind Ye Kai. The other staff members of the internet cafe were snickering on the side. They realized that this new network manager seemed a bit different, able to make their boss, Miss Chen Guo, lose her temper, which wasn't something ordinary people could do.
Chen Guo sat down at the machine next to Ye Kai and casually logged into her Zhuixianxia account. The popularity of players in the other nine districts hadn't decreased much because of the opening of the tenth district, especially the older districts, because it's not easy to build up a Glory account. It took Chen Guo five years to make Zhuixianxia stand out among ordinary players, so she wasn't willing to give it up easily. Moreover, in the end, everyone would aim for the common map of the ten districts, the Divine Domain.
The Divine Domain wasn't just a map; it was practically another world, with a size that could match the total of five ordinary worlds of the big districts. It had more difficult dungeons, more powerful equipment, more precious materials, and a freer atmosphere. If you were a master, you would eventually meet in the Divine Domain. This was where players ultimately strived to compete.
As the time approached midnight, someone in the internet cafe started counting down the last ten seconds involuntarily. The voice grew louder and louder until the final shout of "zero" coincided with the tenth district's login window flashing and shedding its grayness. The internet cafe's patrons moved in unison, inserting their account cards into the login devices and clicking on the tenth district.
Chen Guo turned to look at Ye Kai, almost spitting blood in shock. While everyone was rushing into the game, this guy was leisurely browsing a webpage, looking up a guide for beginner tasks.
"Damn, you don't even know this? You need to look at a guide?" If it weren't for the genuine first-edition card, Chen Guo would never believe this guy had ten years of gaming experience.
"It's been so many years since I've touched this newbie stuff, how could I remember?" Ye Kai said calmly.
"Have you never mentored a newbie or guided a beginner?" Chen Guo asked.
"I really haven't done that..." Ye Kai replied.
"You have no sense of public spirit," Chen Guo scoffed.
"I just didn't have the time," Ye Kai said.
"People who don't have time wouldn't play games. Those who play games are just killing their spare time," Chen Guo said.
"I'm busy playing games," Ye Kai stated seriously.
"What about your job?" Chen Guo asked.
"I play games for a living!"
"Oh, so you're a professional gamer?" Chen Guo said.
Ye Kai smiled, "A pretty high-level one at that."
"High-level? A professional player?" Chen Guo was taken aback.
Ye Kai nodded proudly.
"You must have retired!" Chen Guo said.
"How did you know?"
"Come on, at your age," Chen Guo said.
Ye Kai smiled bitterly.
"I was wondering how you managed to deal with that guy in forty seconds. Turns out you're a professional, though only half-baked," Chen Guo said.
"Half-baked?"
"I know all the famous professional players, and I've never heard of Ye Kai. If you're not half-baked, what are you?" Chen Guo asked.
"Haha, I see," Ye Kai laughed.
"Don't pretend. You're actually not retired, are you? You were eliminated because you couldn't compete for a spot, right?" Chen Guo said.
Ye Kai fell silent.
"Sorry..." Chen Guo realized her words might have touched a sore spot.
"It's okay," Ye Kai sighed.
"Don't be discouraged. At 25, you're not too old. Train well and make a comeback," Chen Guo said.
"That's the plan," Ye Kai smiled.
"If that day really comes, I have a favor to ask of you," Chen Guo said.
"What is it?"
"An autograph," Chen Guo said.
"Why wait for that day? I can sign for you in advance!" Ye Kai offered.
"Don't flatter yourself! Who wants your autograph? I'm asking you to help me get my idol's signature," Chen Guo said.
"Oh? Who?"
"Su Mucheng, and also Ye Kai. It might be harder to get Ye Kai's, that guy likes to be mysterious," Chen Guo said.
"Is that so?" Tears streamed down Ye Kai's face, as he was chatting face-to-face with Comrade Ye Kai.
"Yes, he hardly ever shows up. Even though you're just a half-baked player, you're still in the circle. How do you not know this?" Chen Guo asked.
"I know, of course, I know. Let me tell you a secret, I am Ye Kai," Ye Kai said.
"Really? I'll tell you a secret too, I'm actually Su Mucheng," Chen Guo said.
"I really am Ye Kai," Ye Kai insisted.
"I really am Su Mucheng," Chen Guo claimed.
"I..."
"Alright, enough joking. Go read your guide!" Chen Guo waved her hand, no longer irritated by Ye Kai's leisurely pace. He was someone who had been in the professional circle, even if he was eliminated, did she need to worry about him?
But after turning her gaze back to her screen, Chen Guo still couldn't help but say, "Actually, if you're unclear about any beginner tasks, just ask me."
"I want to figure it out myself. I'll only do the tasks that reward attribute points and skill points. The rewards for other tasks are just experience and equipment, which are not as fast as running dungeons," Ye Kai said.
"Right, that's the thinking of a veteran. But you don't need to figure it out yourself, just flip to the last page of that guide you're reading!"
"Oh?" Ye Kai did as he was told and immediately felt ashamed. It made sense; the beginner tasks hadn't changed much in ten years, and they were thoroughly understood by players. The approach of only doing valuable tasks was chosen by most veterans, so of course, someone would have summarized such a guide. Now, the guide he needed was right in front of him. Ye Kai immediately prepared to follow the guide to accept tasks, and tears streamed down his face. He was a man hailed as a textbook-level player in Glory! Now, he was looking at a beginner's guide to do beginner tasks, how could he bear this, how could he bear it?